Bonsai Philosophy, a discussion.

[doc spring _work]

So happy this blew up while I was asleep. I'm loving all the perspectives, and I don't think I've read anything id disagree with. It's truly fantastic how many people can do bonsai for so many different reasons.

Bonsai in and of itself isn't valuable, it truly is the human experience within caring and appreciating bonsai that gives us value, from simple stress relief, to responsibility of caring for others legacies. Some may even enjoy the spiritual side of the tree although I think that's less common here.

All of it is just truly beautiful! Thank you all for engaging so far and I look forward to indulging in further reading of the simply amazing perspectives I can gain from some of you with many years under your belts

 

[NMbonsai]

Working on bonsai is a very, deeply ritualistic act for me. First, I wait until the kids are in bed. Then, I turn on The Grateful Dead. Next, I crack open a frosty cold beer and have a quick talk with Mary Jane. Then I make sure the tools are clean and sharp as I prep the workspace. And then.... choppy choppy time!

Yes! I love working on my trees out in the spring sunshine, headphones on, listening to a long second set jam, usually from the mid seventies or early eighties. Youtube can be a beautiful thing! The kids are long gone, living their own lives. Gave up the beer a few years ago. I quit talking with Mary Jane about 25 years ago, unless you were referring to your wife. I kinda doubt it!

 

[just.wing.it]

Yes! I love working on my trees out in the spring sunshine, headphones on, listening to a long second set jam, usually from the mid seventies or early eighties. Youtube can be a beautiful thing! The kids are long gone, living their own lives. Gave up the beer a few years ago. I quit talking with Mary Jane about 25 years ago, unless you were referring to your wife. I kinda doubt it!

Haha! Samantha and Mary Jane haven't talked in a long time.

 

[Michael P]

Whenever I hear a discussion of the philosophy of an art I think of Archibald MacLeish's Ars Poetica.

Ars Poetica

* A poem should be motionless in time As the moon climbs, Leaving, as the moon releases Twig by twig the night-entangled trees, Leaving, as the moon behind the winter leaves, Memory by memory the mind— A poem should be motionless in time As the moon climbs.

www.poetryfoundation.org

Respectfully paraphrasing the last lines:

A bonsai should not mean
But be.

 

[Wulfskaar]

Great thread @doc spring _work !

I think that our ancient ancestors spent millions of years living in trees. Trees provided safety, food, shelter, and a great view. With that in mind, I think our appreciation of trees and their forms is deeply ingrained in our psyche, much like faces and facial recognition.

As far as the art vs craft discussion, I agree that you can't really have one without the other, much like the 2 wheels of a cart example. A painter must know about how to pre-treat a canvas, what brushes to use, and painting techniques. That is the craft part. The art part comes by using the craft skills to express beauty or emotion or whatever they are trying to express on the canvas.

In bonsai, you have to learn the craft of keeping trees alive, as well as the techniques used to express what you want to express in the tree. The art is using those skills to express what your mind wants the tree to be.

I don't agree at all that it's purely a craft.